SIDE: Bowing to a Lich's Whims

[Sohala]

"Is there really a difference between them?" Kaelan's words were pointed, then softened as her shoulders slumped. "Many were invited to visit after proving themselves among us," she explained, to which Prax interjected without looking up from her work, "Like your wife." The troll glanced questioningly at the armored individual and then gave Jake another appraising look. Her expression seemed conflicted as she continued, "Others have come uninvited to our island. Some have aided us, I am told, but many seek to exploit our goodwill." Her face contorted, hand clenched into a fist, struggling against an urge to lash out.

The weight of her abominable revelation was heavy on her mind, despite her efforts to reconcile it. Her words carried a grim weight, "I fear they may be concealing the truth behind his words. If they are accurate... my kind might have unwittingly become targets."

Puzzled by the man's grin amidst their serious conversation, Prax brushed it off, replying flatly, "My rank of admiral notwithstanding, I hold the position of Primis for the thaumaturges, among other lingering accolades."

OOC

So, her SOC rating is weird.

She either has a 'hidden' rating of 9 or 14 (depending on the intended base), but she has made no effort to conceal her status...
That means she has either a rating of 15 or 17 (depending on if titles/objects apply after the fact).

 

[wrathgon]

Mage Status

So as a mage you do no add the mage social boost you get as a mage, so add up the starting status and any career increases that is your known status that you are treated as. If the capt movement ever changes the law, you then would be able to use the full social rank but ATM you do not get it. This would instantly create hundreds of nobels that have the right to rule lands and would outrank some of the current nobels in power( Capt would have higher than Jake wife). This is why it is being fought against so hard.

 

[Sohala]

OOC

Oh, well that clears up part of it.

Neither the +2, nor the flat 12, correct?

Assuming so, that is a 7 (+6), based on their Vaulter origin (1).

 

Edited December 11, 2023 by Sohala (see edit history)

[darlis moonbeam]

Jake listens as Kaelan explained what she was talking about he nods his head as Prax mentions his wife. "I will talk to my wife and ask her to look into the outsiders and see if her connections can track them down for you."

 

he notices that Prax did not seem to have much of a sense of humor and took her stations very seriously. "I also reached the rank of Admiral while in the Navy, though being a High General in High Command probably trumps that one. Not sure if my noble rank would be of any help on this island either." he waits for her to lead the way to ask and see the detainees.

 

OOC

I know that Jake had a SOC of 10 before he got married, not sure exactly what getting married and paying for the privilege of marrying a noble bumped him up to. His wife has a SOC of 19.

 

[Sohala]

Prax observed Jake's demeanor, struck by how seriously he seemed to be embracing his retirement. His references to their military ranks in the past tense raised questions about how deeply he had distanced himself from that life.

Focusing on avoiding any unnecessary detours or procrastination, especially considering the recent events and her pressing line of inquiry, Prax navigated toward their destination through the clearest and safest route available.

Amidst the quiet of their journey, she chose to steer the conversation in a different direction. "How did you reconnect with your wife in this world?" Her question held a faint tone of hesitation and longing, hinting at the underlying hope she carried within.

OOC

I don't know where we are going or what it looks like, but I assume our characters do. At least one of them.

 

[wrathgon]

The restricted area of the outsider camps where any of the troublemakers are held is easy to find. Outside the guarder zone, for one of you the first test is being allowed to leave that controlled area.

 

You start to get close to the towers that held the anti grav snare guns that are used on anyone getting too close to them and stop to speak how to approach this next leg of the journey

[darlis moonbeam]

Jake gives her a sympathetic look as he sees how her faces looks as she asked how he reconnected with his wife. "I assume you also had a spouse in the Sim? I am guessing that my circumstances might be a tad different as my wife is not a vaulter so she was never really in the Sim as fully as we were she connected to it from an external device as I understand it. So she was able to let me know how to contact her when i got out as long as I had access to communications devices for the world at large. Is there anything I can do to help you find your spouse?"

As they get closer to their destination he realizes that it might be a tad harder than he thought to see the detainees, he gives a curious look over to Prax. "Any ideas on how we get past this or should we rethink it at this point?" he waits for her answer.

 

 

[Sohala]

Prax's armored figure turned, gaze momentarily shifting to Jake as they continued their walk. A palpable silence hung between them, stretching the moments before she responded, her words tinged with a touch of melancholy. "Yes, I had someone..." The flickering warmth of hope still burned in her breast even as her brain worked with cold logical thoughts, anxious worries, and twisted conspiracies to chip away at it, '...or thought I did.' The unspoken thought weighed heavy on her. In the armored suit, a hand caressed a concealed pendant.

"We'd felt it coming, talked about it. I was so thankful neither of us would have to wait for the other. Then..." She paused, remembering that disorienting time. Her words grew distant as she relived it, "...then I woke. So many others were there as well, but not her." Returning to the present, she noted her own attempts, "I can recall her, as can some of her friends, yet for all the records she has disappeared, maybe never even existed." She once more looked his way, "I am not sure there is much you can do."

OOC

Ran out of time for the other part.

 

[Sohala]

Lost in her own thoughts after their earlier conversation, Prax nearly forgot to stop out of range of the towers. Uncertainty crept into her voice at his question, "Uh, I'm not sure." She made a show of giving the towers an examination from their distant position. Thoughtful sounds came from her as she spoke again, "Let me try and do something about them." She looked down at him, "If I get trapped, don't try to pull me out. You are just as likely to get enveloped by the effect as well."

 

Edited February 3 by Sohala (see edit history)

[wrathgon]

About 15 min pass...

[Sohala]

Prax's approach was marked by indicator lights turning on and visual capture sensors following her as she moved. Tentatively she reached out and laid her hand on one. Time passed in silence until she moved again, giving each tower a nod before turning and walking back for Jake. "We can go through for now, if you stay close." Her tone was low and held a conspiratorial note.

[darlis moonbeam]

Jake watches as Prax moves forward and sees her nod to each of the towers. He gives her a suspicious look as she came back to him. "What exactly was that, that you did?"

He stayed close to her as she made her way forward. "I am trusting you, I hope I am not going to regret it."

 

 

[Sohala]

Aiming to keep her explanation comprehendible for the uninformed, Prax may have oversimplified her response, "I was thanking them for agreeing to authorize our joint passage." As an afterthought, she further added, "They however expect our prompt return and for us to maintain a relatively low profile to avoid causing any undo disruptions."

[darlis moonbeam]

Jake gives her a tight grin as he realized she glossed over a lot with her explanation. "Of course, I mean we wouldn't want to be rude would we?"

He makes a hand motion to her to lead the way. "Ladies first. We would not want these detainees to be left waiting"

 

 

[wrathgon]

Moments after you cross out of the control zone, you hear internal alerts calling the troops to action. Still close you see most of the towers empty out in full combat gear and load up into both ground and air support units. The air unit takes off immediately and flies towards Center of town, while the 4 ground you take 4 different roads that lead around the complexes outer rim.